


nice to have a friend

by komhmagnus



Series: Flufftober 2019 [10]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Beginnings, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Mutual Pining, POV Isabelle Lightwood, Post-Canon Fix-It, Post-Episode: s03e22 All Good Things...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-12-07 20:08:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20981627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/komhmagnus/pseuds/komhmagnus
Summary: “How does it feel?” Izzy asks. “Being back, I mean.” She stares at her hands, picking at her nail polish again. “You had this whole other amazing life out there, and now your life’s been turned upside down. Again.”





	nice to have a friend

**Author's Note:**

> Flufftober day 10: party
> 
> Title is from It's Nice to Have a Friend by Taylor Swift

The party is vibrant, like one of Clary’s paintings. The colors are many and bright, practically covering every bare inch of the Institute’s main hall. Izzy swears she’s seen more smiles tonight than she has in the entire year Clary’s been gone, and she’d spent a  _ lot _ of time hanging around Alec and Magnus. That’s saying something, she thinks with a grin.

The grin fades a little as she searches the crowd again. Clary’s nowhere to be seen, having disappeared about twenty minutes before. Izzy picks at one of her nails, worry digging into her stomach. She can’t help but be worried about Clary.

No matter how much the redhead insists she’s fine, Izzy knows better. She’d seen how overwhelming Clary’s first introduction into the Downworld had been, but now she’s going through it all again, with all of her own memories crashing down on her, too. It has to be a lot.

Biting her lip, Izzy turns down one of the hallways, seeking a quiet corner Clary might have ducked into. She catches a glimpse of red hair at the end of the hallway and her stomach unclenches in relief.

“There you are,” Izzy says as she approaches, wanting to sound lighthearted and not like she’s super obviously checking up on Clary. “Our guest of honor disappeared.”

Clary’s sat on the floor, knees pressed to her chest. Her eyes are bright when she looks up at Izzy. “Hey,” she says softly. She pats at the ground beside her in invitation, shifting so her legs are criss-cross applesauce instead.

“You okay, Fray?” Izzy asks, knowing the rhyme will make Clary smile. It does, and her smile is so beautiful, Izzy wonders how she ever went an entire year without seeing it.

“Yeah,” Clary says softly. “It just...it kind of hit me, all of a sudden. Being back. I needed a minute.”

“How does it feel?” Izzy asks. “Being back, I mean.” She stares at her hands, picking at her nail polish again. “You had this whole other amazing life out there, and now your life’s been turned upside down. Again.”

Clary takes her hand abruptly and Izzy stares. “This life is pretty amazing, too,” she says, eyes sure. Strong. “I know I don’t remember all of it yet, but...I know it meant a lot to me, and that it still does.” She squeezes Izzy’s hand and Izzy tries not to spiral into the possible implications of that, the unsaid words.

But then she thinks about the past year, how much she wishes she had said something before it was too late.

She squeezes Clary’s hand back.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” Izzy says before she can talk herself out of it. “I should have said it a long time ago.”

“What is it?” Clary asks, her eyes wide.

Izzy takes a deep breath, using the steady warmth of Clary’s hand around hers to ground herself. “I, um. I like you, Clary. A lot.”  _ Eloquent start. _ “As more than a friend, I mean. I have for a while, like since before everything happened last year, and I should have said something. But you were with Jace and it was easier to ignore it, so I did. But I was just wasting time, and if this past year has taught me anything, it’s that you should go for what you want or you’ll miss your chance. I don’t want to miss a chance with you,” she says. “Not if I have one.”

Clary stares at her, mouth hanging slightly open at the confession. Izzy can feel her cheeks burning. She wants to sink into the floor and hide, but Clary’s gaze holds her in place.

“Isabelle,” she breathes finally. “I...wow.”

She shakes her head. “You don’t have to—it’s okay if you don’t feel the same. I’ll, um,” she says, starting to stand, “I’ll go.”

But Clary doesn’t let go of her hand. “You do,” she says when Izzy looks at her in question. “You do have one.” Her words are quiet and maybe a little unsure, but she’s smiling and suddenly that’s all Izzy knows. 

She sinks back down onto the floor. “Okay,” she says because honestly she’s at a loss for words. “Can I, um, can I kiss you?”

Clary’s smile turns shy, but she nods. Izzy leans in slowly, studying Clary’s face, memorizing it.  _ By the Angel, _ she’d missed that face. The kiss is soft and sweet and entirely too short, but that can’t be helped for the ridiculously big smiles on both of their faces.

Izzy laughs, the sound bubbling up from her throat. “Come on, Fray,” she says, pulling Clary to her feet. “You can’t miss your own party.”

“I guess it would go against the whole point of the party, huh,” Clary jokes, looping their arms together. “Having it because I’m here again but me missing the whole thing anyways?”

Izzy’s smile softens. “I’m really glad you’re back, Clary.”

“Me too,” Clary says, looking at her with another smile brighter than her hair.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are appreciated 💖  
Find me on Tumblr and Twitter @banesapothecary!


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